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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Korea to unveil e-cigarettes' harmful effects

E-cigarettes / Korea Times fileSouth Korea's health authorities said Wednesday they will announce the results of their investigation into possible harmful substances in heat-not-burn electronic cigarettes next month.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it will make its announcement before June 13.The ministry launched the probe in August into three tobacco heating devices -- IQOS by Philip Morris Korea Inc., British American Tobacco's Glo and South Korean leading cigarette maker KT&G Corp.'s lil.The investigation is focused on the amount of harmful chemicals such as nicotine and tar released in e-cigarettes.E-cigarette manufacturers have claimed their devices produce lower levels of harmful chemicals compared with conventional cigarettes. (Yonhap)

May 30, 2018
Korea to unveil e-cigarettes' harmful effects

12 percent of young children use smartphones every day: survey

Children these days don't just wait / Reuters Four out of 10 young children watch television and more than one out of 10 use smartphones every day, a report showed Tuesday.According to the report by Ajou University Hospital, 39.3 percent of the surveyed children aged between two and five watch television every day and 12 percent use smartphones on a daily basis.The hospital examined the habits of 350 small children. The findings were based on a survey of their parents.The survey showed that 48 percent of the children watch television for one hour every day on average and 66.5 percent start watching television before they are two years old.It also revealed that 36.5 percent use smartphones more than four days a week, with 12.2 percent of them being exposed to the mobile device before they were 12 months old. (Yonhap)

May 30, 2018
12 percent of young children use smartphones every day: survey

Eating excessively to reduce stress

Stress eating more common among women By Kim Jae-heunCatherine Lee has been suffering a lot of stress lately from job seeking.On her way back home from school one day, she ordered three delivery meals. She also stopped by a convenience store near her home to grab her favorite snacks, and ate them all before the delivery food arrived. Lee eats excessively to relieve her stress. She has been overeating like this for a long time.“I think most women do not want to stress out on other people. Overeating is one of the most peaceful ways to deal with stress,” Lee, who is 24 years old, said. In a 2017 episode of “Saturday Night Live,” comedian Tina Fey devoured a cake after asking what people can do when they feel anxious and stressed out. Overindulging in food and drinks to relieve stress is common, but more so among female students than men, according to research by the Korea Food Forum (KOFRUM).KOFRUM conducted a study with Lee Sang-hee, a psychology professor at Kwangwoon University, on how each gender relieves stress.They surveyed 244 male and 231 female students

May 27, 2018

Psychological autopsy to help suicide prevention

By Lee Kyung-min The government plans to expand analyses of psychological autopsies, a research process that attempts to determine the complex mental conditions preceding suicides, in continued efforts to shed a negative image associated with Korea. The country has had the highest suicide rate among 34 OECD member nations for the past decade. The initiative was one of President Moon Jae-in's major campaign pledges, with the objective of reducing the rate to 20 for every 100,000 people, from the current 25.6. According to Statistics Korea, 13,092 people committed suicide in 2016, about 40 people per day. Korea's suicide rate is over twice the average rate among OECD nations which stood at 12.1. The measure undertaken by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Psychological Autopsy Center involves collecting all available information on the deceased including interviews with family members, relatives, close friends and health care providers that attended to them. The ministry set up the center in April 2014 to trace and analyze the process in the lead-up to suicide to determi

May 27, 2018

Can Korea lift abortion ban this time?

Civic groups rally in front of the Constitutional Court ahead of a public petition on the constitutionality of the current abortion law. Protesters on one side claim the law is unconstitutional (front) while those on the other side support the ban. / YonhapBy Lee Suh-yoon, Jung Da-minHours before a public debate on the country's abortion ban Thursday, civic groups surrounded the Constitutional Court in Jongno, downtown Seoul. Some clutched signs saying, “The abortion ban is unconstitutional,” while a smaller group held up graphic posters of dismembered fetuses with phrases like “the Constitution must protect ALL life.” The case was brought to the Constitutional Court by a doctor who had been criminally charged for carrying out abortions. Last time the abortion ban was challenged in 2012, the court ruled in favor of it. Although rarely enforced, the current law imposes a two-year jail term on doctors for conducting abortions, while women who have abortions are fined 2 million won ($1,850) or may face one year in jail. Women's self-determinationThe doctor and hi

May 25, 2018
Can Korea lift abortion ban this time?
  • Korea's 65-year-old abortion ban under review

Gov't confirms discovery of more radioactive bed mattresses

Noh Hyeong-ouk, vice-minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, speaks to reporters at the Seoul Government Complex, Friday. / YonhapThe government confirmed on Friday that additional mattresses made by Daijin Bed Co. have been found to release radiation at levels that exceed the safety standard.Earlier, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission announced that seven of Daijin's mattresses released radon up to 9.3 times above the national standard. Radon is a radioactive, colorless and odorless gas that can be found in nature as an indirect decay product of uranium or thorium. It is considered a health hazard due to its radioactivity, and exposure to the radioactive gas can cause lung cancer.The Office for Government Policy Coordination announced that 14 other Daijin mattresses also violated the relevant standard and ordered an administrative measure to discard the models.The finding concluded that the annual radiation dose of the models tested exceeded the safety standard for processed products of 1 millisievert (mSv) per year, the office said.The government has

May 25, 2018
Gov't confirms discovery of more radioactive bed mattresses

Gov't confirms discovery of more radioactive bed mattresses

Noh Hyeong-ouk, vice-minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, speaks to reporters at the Seoul Government Complex, Friday. / YonhapThe government confirmed on Friday that additional mattresses made by Daijin Bed Co. have been found to release radiation at levels that exceed the safety standard.Earlier, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission announced that seven of Daijin's mattresses released radon up to 9.3 times above the national standard. Radon is a radioactive, colorless and odorless gas that can be found in nature as an indirect decay product of uranium or thorium. It is considered a health hazard due to its radioactivity, and exposure to the radioactive gas can cause lung cancer.The Office for Government Policy Coordination announced that 14 other Daijin mattresses also violated the relevant standard and ordered an administrative measure to discard the models.The finding concluded that the annual radiation dose of the models tested exceeded the safety standard for processed products of 1 millisievert (mSv) per year, the office said.The gove

May 25, 2018
Gov't confirms discovery of more radioactive bed mattresses

Korea to provide support for development of vaccines

South Korea's drug safety agency said Friday it will provide consulting to pharmaceutical firms over their development of seven vaccine products.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it will provide consulting to pharmaceutical firms over their laboratory tests, clinical trials, manufacturing and quality control of vaccines.The seven products include vaccines for tuberculosis for adults and teenagers and for herpes zoster.The move has raised the number of vaccine products that receive government support to 38, according to the drug safety agency.The support is part of South Korea's efforts to increase the sufficient rate of vaccines from 50 percent in 2018 to 80 percent by 2022.Vaccine development is expected to prevent between 2 and 3 million deaths globally every year, the ministry said. (Yonhap)

May 25, 2018

Radon-emission widespread among consumer products

By Lee Suh-yoon“Better blood circulation, anti-aging effect, antibacterial.” These are just some of the health benefits claimed for “negative ion-releasing” products. The products have recently faced public scrutiny after mattresses produced by a local company were found to emit levels of the radioactive gas radon nine times over the safety standard. There are some 180,000 products claiming health benefits from the release of “negative ions” registered at the patent office, according to civic group Korea Radiation Watch. The claimed health benefits, however, are dubious. And most of these consumer goods include radioactive minerals like monazite sand to produce negative ions. The accumulation of radon, released by monazite, can lead to lung cancer.Last year, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission investigated 102 consumer products that were advertised as producing beneficial negative ions. The report claimed the yearly exposure from each product was below the safety standard. But with the recent revelations over Daijin Bed mattresses, civic gro

May 25, 2018
Radon-emission widespread among consumer products

Household products under scrutiny for radioactive emissions

Consumer and civic groups demand an immediate recall of mattresses found to emit harmful levels of radiation in front of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission building at Jongno, downtown Seoul, Monday. / YonhapBy Lee Suh-yoonA recent public health scare over “radioactive mattresses” found to emit radon nine times the safety standard is spreading to other household products. Radon – a radioactive gas – is emitted by monazite sand, a natural mineral that releases “negative ions.” Manufacturer Daijin Bed applied it to the inner layer of the mattresses for alleged health benefits. Excessive radon exposure has been found to cause lung cancer. Nuclear Safety and Security Commission data, acquired and released by Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kwon Chil-seung on Tuesday, shows Daijin Bed's monazite sand supplier distributed even more of the radioactive substance to three other local firms over the years. One bought 12 tons of monazite sand between 2014 and 2018 – almost quadruple the amount Daijin Bed bought between 2013 and 201

May 24, 2018
Household products under scrutiny for radioactive emissions
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